This top-shelf, free, destination-worthy cultural gem is on the 7th floor of the Alkek Library at…read moreTexas State in San Marcos. The Wittliff collects, preserves and shares Southwestern literary, photographic, and musical arts. Sounds stuffy as hell, right? Far from it! It's founder, Austinite Bill Witliff, was a screenwriter of the beloved miniseries Lonesome Dove, and this museum is home to the film's production archives, including props, costumes and other treasures. But that's only one of several collections. Witliff established the museum in 1986 with the encouragement and many gifts from author and folklorist J. Frank Dobie. Musicians and their fans will adore perusing private correspondence and journals, instruments, hats and so much more from people like Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jerry Jeff Walker, Willie Nelson, Ray Benson and on and on and on. It will take you a happy hour or more to acquaint yourself with its permanent and temporary collections. My favorite room was devoted to mind-blowing photography of native American people taken in the early 1900s by Edward Curtis. It hasn't been that long since they freely roamed and inhabited our wilderness and the beauty - and reality - of these captures took my breath away. If you are a rancher, a descendent of a rancher or even know a rancher, get yourself over there for an enlightened perspective on the lifestyles, struggles and beauty of the people who raise grazing animals. I figure the Witliff has about a dozen theme-specific rooms that are smartly curated and thoughtfully presented. HOT TIPS! - Parking is free on weekends in the Alkek parking lot. - Like all campuses, Texas State is not easy to get around... signage is downright absent or stupid. It doesn't help that hardly anyone at Texas State is aware of the Witliff Collection and can't point you to it. - As you exit the parking lot, make your way to the tallest building right above you. That's the library. Head to the 7th floor.

I attended a conference held by TSU and attendees were told about The Whitliff Collections, which…read morewas located in a nearby building. I used a few of my lunch hours during the conference to visit, but wish that I was able to spend the day browsing. There were many QR codes for videos online in one of the exhibitions and I wish that I had the time to see them all. My friend is a huge King of the Hill fan and was jealous that script archives were held with The Whitliff Collections. I would have asked to view them if I had more time to browse. Too bad they cannot be viewed online. Can't complain with a free museum. It was well kept!

I would say the pricing is steep for the experience. There are definitely some cute photo ops…read more However, it wasn't as interactive as I hoped. The diner was very cool but the juke box wasn't working. The candy room could use a bit more whimsy. I appreciate the vision but it could use some more pizazz. More embellishments, more interactive moments. Just needs more for the price.

We didn't have any expectations of this place when we came in and with the $40 for two people I was…read moreon the fence. However, it was just so silly and fun I couldn't help but enjoy it. All of the rooms are very immersive and great to just be a kid again. Worth every penny!

This is a small museum. The inside has two sections, one for Native American artifacts and one for…read morethe heritage of Texas. They don't take very long to see. The most interesting part of this museum is the dinosaur interior features two sections: one dedicated to Native American artifacts and another to. There is a covered area where you can see them. You can walk all the way around the exhibit but not go inside. There is a higher area where you can see them from above, but that's about it. Some statues are in dire need of refurbishing and painting. The bathrooms are out in the parking lot with no air, so it gets hot in there. Parking was ok as not many folks were there. The price was $7 per person. It was not totally worth it as an adult, but it is what it is.

Very knowledgeable docents, easily visible tracks, easy tour walk, beautiful native pollinator…read moregarden, recently repainted dinosaur statues, the mock dig site is soooo much fun for all. They also have indoor exhibits focused on indigenous peoples and the early German settlers. Gift shop has very family friendly prices that already include the tax

This is truly a hidden gem. I finally got around to visiting and regretted not going sooner…read more Frank (docent) did a great job of explaining details about the planes and gave fascinating trivia. While I went to see the plane collection, I was blown away by the museum. Very well presented artifacts. I plan to go back as there is too much to see in one trip.

This is such a cool little place to visit. The planes and the memorabilia are amazing. The little…read moregift shop could sure use an attendant, otherwise this was a fabulous gem.

Thea museum is fun. A quick walk-through, but it's really fun. So I do recommend it's not so big to…read moreactually take your time and read the plaques and take a lot of photos. Before you enter the museum here in this little gift shop so you are able to buy little interesting things if you wanted to. And then as you're going through the museum, you end up in another gift shop so you have two opportunities to buy weird objects. But we did enjoy it if we ever end up in Texas again we would honestly do it again

It is something to do when it's hot. The AC works except in the wax room. It smells awful!!!…read moreThey encourage you to take pics with King Kong which involves getting on knees and climbing up thru the hand. Well my dress had a dark brown wet stain on it as I stood up. Looked like poop -it wasn't but it sure looked like it. Bathroom out of order but they let me in and stain still there. So $25 for 2 to get in and I possibly ruined a brand new dress. Wasn't impressed at all by the place.

This MUSEUM is very interesting. The tour guide was incredibly friendly and thorough. It was such…read morean interesting experience and each exhibit was filled with history and art. They offer a variety of other things such as music classes and tutoring for elementary children. It's especially good for a school project!

Amazing venue for my 4 year old. He loves the choices with different play areas. He also likes to…read morego outside and loves the water and fishing. Only issue is parents have to pay the same amount as the kids which is ridiculous it should be half the cost since the parents are just there to watch the kids. Also I put back all the items my son plays with. Also one of the few businesses that does not provide any discounts for military personnel. Love the place but disgusted with the piece for parents to attend.

I'm here on Friday 7/17/26 with my two grandkids my wife and I. A lot of the items in the bank are…read moremissing. A lot of the items in the kids clinic are missing. A lot of items for the emergencies services. Ambulance don't work such as the best have no Velcro and no clips. I don't see any help anywhere around with the exception of one young man that was in the outside area. This place is really fallen downhill since the last time I was here which was about six months ago. It's pretty trashy. From what you pay for. But we'll see one thing kids don't care.

We only found out this week that this museum existed. It was featured on the local news…read more It's only open to the public on Saturdays from 10:00am to 5:00 pm. The weekdays appear to be devoted to schools and workshops. The museum is free but donations are appreciated. There are tour guides to take you chronologically through the exhibits. The main themes of the exhibits are electricity and communication and how they came to be. You are taken from Morse code, ticker tape, western union, punch cards and old computers through one of the first cell phones invented in the mid-90s by a local man, who happens to be the same person who created this museum. Of course, the best is saved for last. Who doesn't love Tesla coils firing to the Star Wars theme, followed by Walk like an Egyptian? Sweet. Go there and enjoy. Donate generously. We need our kids to keep up with the rest of the world.

We were disappointed. Only the flight sim had a guide to tell you how to use it. Every other…read moreexhibit was a QR code on a kiosk and you just read about it or struggled to figure it out using the kiosk. A few computers had games but that's as interactive as it got. Everything is blocked off by ropes so interactive is extremely minimal. Glad it was free

Gorgeous mini-golf course! The family had a blast. The WW2 theme is fun, educational, and the…read moremuseum is filled with items from neighbors in the community. Our kid wants to have her birthday party there and my wife's office is looking to plan an event especially with the mini disc golf course. The new bar/indoor dining is family friendly and there's a new food truck with DOLE WHIP, sandwiches, fries, burgers, and Mediterranean food.

My family and I decided to go play mini golf at the Memorial minigolf and museum. We went on a…read moreMonday at around 2:00 pm. Luckily the weather was in the 70s which was really nice for a January day. We drove up and parked easily. We then went to pay the rate for 4 adults, got our clubs, chose our golf balls, and we were off. There were a few people there with families on the course but we basically had the course to ourselves. It was a course with a practice spot and then 18 holes to play. It was very informative and fun. There were stands at each hole with a set of photos and historical information. Plus the actual course had slight slopes, and a few fun obstacles. After golfing we went inside the small museum. There were several artifacts and some historical information to look at and read about. On a side note they have two bathrooms with soap and running water which is a positive. Overall it was a fun afternoon on a nice day. The mini golf course is fun and informative. The museum is small and interesting. If you like history and mini golf this would be a good place to visit and play on a nice day.